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Author Topic: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?  (Read 1192 times)

muzzz

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Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« on: September 18, 2012, 01:01:42 pm »

I've flooded the top level of a small magma pipe. But nothing is growing on the newly-formed-and-flooded obsidian floor. I'm not even seeing any moss or fungus. Yet the path I dug-out for the water (1 z-level above) is already showing tree growth. Is there something wrong with my obsidian?

During the flooding, a handful of obsidian tiles were created on top of the new obsidian layer. Naively, I ordered a dwarf to dig them out. This, of course, caused a small cave-in. But according to the combat report, it involved "boiling magma". I didn't even know magma could boil. Even more surprising, there was still a layer of obsidian between the cave-in and the nearest non-boiling magma. But what really blew my mind was that the miner, it seems, didn't even lose an eyebrow. Can anyone explain how an obsidian-on-obsidian cave-in causes harmless clouds of boiling magma?
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Oaktree

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #1 on: September 18, 2012, 01:08:40 pm »

Feature of cave-ins.  I had a dwarf recently try to put up an earthernware wall on the far side of a grate in a surface installation.  It collapsed and part of the report included "cloud of boiling magma" as well.  Was nowhere near magma at the time.
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i2amroy

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #2 on: September 18, 2012, 01:11:22 pm »

The reason is because stone has:
Code: [Select]
[STATE_COLOR:GAS:ORANGE]
[STATE_NAME:GAS:boiling magma]
[STATE_ADJ:GAS:boiling magma]
This means that any gas type material of stone, which includes cave-in dust, is labeled as "magma". Your miner simply got hit by a bit of cave-in dust, that's all.

As for why nothing is growing, I guess it's possible that your obsidian floors might be treated as constructed floors for purposes of plant growth, rendering them sterile.
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Canadark

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #3 on: September 18, 2012, 01:24:33 pm »

Odd. They aren't treated like a construction in any other sense.
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misko27

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #4 on: September 18, 2012, 02:15:33 pm »

Feature of cave-ins.  I had a dwarf recently try to put up an earthernware wall on the far side of a grate in a surface installation.  It collapsed and part of the report included "cloud of boiling magma" as well.  Was nowhere near magma at the time.
Happened to me too. Was digging through a hill when I caved in the roof. Boiling magma aboveground, hadn't even seen any yet.
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doublestrafe

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #5 on: September 18, 2012, 02:40:17 pm »

I've flooded the top level of a small magma pipe. But nothing is growing on the newly-formed-and-flooded obsidian floor. I'm not even seeing any moss or fungus. Yet the path I dug-out for the water (1 z-level above) is already showing tree growth. Is there something wrong with my obsidian?

Is there actually mud on the obsidian tiles?
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GreatWyrmGold

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #6 on: September 18, 2012, 05:30:01 pm »

I've flooded the top level of a small magma pipe. But nothing is growing on the newly-formed-and-flooded obsidian floor. I'm not even seeing any moss or fungus. Yet the path I dug-out for the water (1 z-level above) is already showing tree growth. Is there something wrong with my obsidian?

Is there actually mud on the obsidian tiles?

I was going to ask this.
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Drazinononda

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #7 on: September 18, 2012, 08:47:56 pm »

Is the obsidian too hot to plant crops?
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GreatWyrmGold

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #8 on: September 18, 2012, 08:58:13 pm »

That shouldn't affect it, unless dwarves aren't pathing to the site or the crops get set on fire before being harvested.
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Quietust

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Re: Sterile obsidian? Encased magma?
« Reply #9 on: September 18, 2012, 10:15:46 pm »

Plant growth is probably being suppressed because the tiles are part of the "magma pool" map feature - tiles that are part of map features can only naturally grow plants from that feature's populations ("cavern layer" feature populations include various subterranean creatures, shrubs, trees, and grasses), and magma pool populations only contain creatures (fire imps, magma crabs, etc.), not plants.

In other words, it's the same reason why discovering the 3rd cavern layer won't allow its nether-caps and/or blood thorns to start growing in the upper caverns.
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